Publication: What's-On Las Vegas Publication Date: January 20, 2009
City/State: Las Vegas, NV Frequency: Daily
Circulation: 205,000
Las Vegas Offers A Wealth Of Chinese Food
By Liz Riley-Brooks
Chinese restaurants may seem ubiquitous these days—and we're not even talking about the
tragedies of chain Chinese fast-food restaurants named after certain endangered animals.
According to Chinese Restaurant News, there are more Chinese restaurants in the U.S. than
McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's combined. In an effort to celebrate how far Chinese
cuisine has come in this country, on Jan. 5, Chinese Restaurant News held the fifth annual Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in the USA awards and conference right here in Las Vegas.
Vegas has its own share of amazing Chinese dining, from all-you-can-eat buffets to high-end restaurants, some with a decidedly American take on Chinese cuisine and some so authentic you're transported straight to Shanghai. Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas, the only Las Vegas eatery to make the Top 100 list, is also the only Chinese restaurant in town to earn a Michelin star, thanks to Executive Chef Richard Chen's vision of balancing regional Shanghai, Cantonese and Szechwan cuisine with elegant and haute presentation.
Chinese New Year—celebrated this year on Monday, Jan. 26—always brings delightful specials from both Strip and off-Strip Asian eateries, and the Year of the Ox is no exception. Dim sum menus go into full effect for Strip Chinese restaurants, including Pearl at MGM Grand and a dim sum buffet at Noodles at Bellagio. Consider dim sum as a small-plates dining experience, a tapas of Asian dishes, if you will. Rice paper-wrapped dumplings, steamed and baked buns and braised vegetables are meant to be eaten with hot tea and shared at the table, ideal for a meal that means “to touch the heart.” Ping Pang Pong at Gold Coast remains one of the city's most popular spots for dim sum.
Even when it's not the Lunar New Year (or dim sum hours), it's easy to get a dumpling fix at China Mama, 3420 S. Jones Blvd, located west of the Strip in Chinatown. The ridiculously affordable and no-frills joint is one of the few restaurants that properly prepares xiao long bao, or Shanghai soup dumplings—delicate pockets of meat and hot soup that true Las Vegas foodies have been chasing for years.
And even though some might say that after eating Chinese food you'll be hungry 30 minutes later, in a town with as many choices as Las Vegas, that's not such a bad thing.
Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Pearl at MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Noodles at Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Ping Pang Pong at Gold Coast, 4000 W. Flamingo Rd.
China Mama, 3420 S. Jones Blvd.
City/State: Las Vegas, NV Frequency: Daily
Circulation: 205,000
Las Vegas Offers A Wealth Of Chinese Food
By Liz Riley-Brooks
Chinese restaurants may seem ubiquitous these days—and we're not even talking about the
tragedies of chain Chinese fast-food restaurants named after certain endangered animals.
According to Chinese Restaurant News, there are more Chinese restaurants in the U.S. than
McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's combined. In an effort to celebrate how far Chinese
cuisine has come in this country, on Jan. 5, Chinese Restaurant News held the fifth annual Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in the USA awards and conference right here in Las Vegas.
Vegas has its own share of amazing Chinese dining, from all-you-can-eat buffets to high-end restaurants, some with a decidedly American take on Chinese cuisine and some so authentic you're transported straight to Shanghai. Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas, the only Las Vegas eatery to make the Top 100 list, is also the only Chinese restaurant in town to earn a Michelin star, thanks to Executive Chef Richard Chen's vision of balancing regional Shanghai, Cantonese and Szechwan cuisine with elegant and haute presentation.
Chinese New Year—celebrated this year on Monday, Jan. 26—always brings delightful specials from both Strip and off-Strip Asian eateries, and the Year of the Ox is no exception. Dim sum menus go into full effect for Strip Chinese restaurants, including Pearl at MGM Grand and a dim sum buffet at Noodles at Bellagio. Consider dim sum as a small-plates dining experience, a tapas of Asian dishes, if you will. Rice paper-wrapped dumplings, steamed and baked buns and braised vegetables are meant to be eaten with hot tea and shared at the table, ideal for a meal that means “to touch the heart.” Ping Pang Pong at Gold Coast remains one of the city's most popular spots for dim sum.
Even when it's not the Lunar New Year (or dim sum hours), it's easy to get a dumpling fix at China Mama, 3420 S. Jones Blvd, located west of the Strip in Chinatown. The ridiculously affordable and no-frills joint is one of the few restaurants that properly prepares xiao long bao, or Shanghai soup dumplings—delicate pockets of meat and hot soup that true Las Vegas foodies have been chasing for years.
And even though some might say that after eating Chinese food you'll be hungry 30 minutes later, in a town with as many choices as Las Vegas, that's not such a bad thing.
Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Pearl at MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Noodles at Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Ping Pang Pong at Gold Coast, 4000 W. Flamingo Rd.
China Mama, 3420 S. Jones Blvd.
